Sibling rivalries are always interesting matchups. Equanimeous St. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown do bring uniqueness to their rivalry, however. Both brothers play in the NFC North. Equanimeous, the oldest of three, plays for the Packers. Amon-Ra, the youngest of the three, plays for the Detroit Lions.
With one more game left to play in the regular season, the rivalry between Equanimeous (EQ) and Amon-Ra St. Brown already appears to be a heavily one-sided affair. As the two receivers head into their week 18 showdown at Ford Field, the St. Brown brothers’ careers seem to be headed in opposite directions. Amon-Ra is on an absolute tear and is one of the few bright spots on a struggling Detroit team, while EQ continues to underachieve in Green Bay, and is likely to hit the streets as a free agent after the end of the current season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Season
Amon-Ra St. Brown got off to an understandably slow start to the 2021-2022 season. The Detroit Lions coaching staff and starting quarterback were as new to the team as he was. But, after a rough first 3 weeks on an offensively anemic team, the rookie started to find his footing. Amon-Ra stumbled a few times through the middle third of the season.
After helping secure the team’s first victory in week 13 against the Vikings in a breakout performance, he has been in a full sprint; Solidifying his position as the team’s #1 receiver. During this stretch Amon-Ra set an NFL rookie record for most consecutive games with 8+ receptions (5). He has also surpassed Calvin Johnson’s rookie season in both receptions and yardage, while tying him in touchdown receptions.
The younger St. Brown has accomplished all of this while swapping between Jared Goff and former Packer Tim Boyle at quarterback. The future does indeed look bright for rookie receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Equanimeous St. Brown’s Season
Equanimeous St. Brown’s tenure with the Packers has been frustrating by comparison. The word “frustrating” being apropos because of the promise EQ suggests with his elite size and speed.
The former 6th round pick out of Notre Dame was selected by a Packers team that was desperate for new blood at the receiver position; EQ was one of 3 receivers selected by the Packers in 2018. Unfortunately EQ wasn’t able to climb very far up a depth chart that included names like Geronimo Allison, Trevor Davis, and J’Mon Moore in his rookie season.
The reason why EQ was unable to make this climb in his rookie and subsequent seasons is two-fold: injuries and inconsistency. When EQ has managed to stay on the field, he has had several key drops, the most egregious of which occurred during last year’s NFC championship game. Late in the 3rd quarter EQ dropped a pass in the end zone for a two-point conversion that the Packers needed to have against a stout Buccaneers defense. The worst part was that he ran a perfect route. EQ was wide open; Those are the plays that can deflate an offense, and an entire team. Those are the plays that are hard to come back from.
Things are Looking Up For St. Brown
The good news for Equanimeous St. Brown is that he has come back. He was brought back via the practice squad and has seen the field less than he has in previous years, but he is back, and when he has been on the field, he hasn’t dropped the ball.
Rodgers has looked his way more than once on 3rd down, and he’s been able to convert. With the Packers having already locked up the #1 seed in the NFC, EQ has a chance to get a decent amount of playing time versus his little brother and the Lions.
If EQ can put together a nice game on Sunday, he will likely get to see the field more in the postseason. Additionally, if he can come up big in the postseason, the sky is the limit. A little bit of sibling competition is probably what EQ needs to excel in his NFL career.
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